Best Budget Knives?

[tlcasper]

Not sure where you are located, but around me there are stores like Goodwill and similar.
I have amassed quite a collection of very expensive knives by digging through their buckets of utensils every now and then.
The best finds have been at a place where everything in the bucket is $1. Some places get up to $5....... but I have found a few knives that retail for over $100. Worth a dig or two. :) Picked up a nice steel for $1 also.
I also made a knife block by making a 12" tall box out off wood, about 6" X 6" square, and filling it tight with standing uncooked spaghetti. The knives slide in and out with ease.

 

[old sarge]

Not sure where you are located, but around me there are stores like Goodwill and similar.
I have amassed quite a collection of very expensive knives by digging through their buckets of utensils every now and then.
The best finds have been at a place where everything in the bucket is $1. Some places get up to $5....... but I have found a few knives that retail for over $100. Worth a dig or two. :) Picked up a nice steel for $1 also.
I also made a knife block by making a 12" tall box out off wood, about 6" X 6" square, and filling it tight with standing uncooked spaghetti. The knives slide in and out with ease.

You are correct in finding some treasures in these type stores. Unfortunately, I personally know many people who for some ignorant reason will not shop GW, Salvation Army or any thrift store. Beneath their dignity, as if they possessed any.

Good idea on the knife block!

 

[Humo18]

I buy a lot of shirts at a Goodwill store and my very favorite shirt (an expensive brand) I purchased there. Still looks brand new (NO, IT'S NOT THE BBQ SAUCE/CHARCOAL STAINED ONE IN MY PICTURE).

I'm on my way to hunt for a carving knife!

 

[mickey jay]

I’ll recommend you check out Mundial’s lineup. Been using their least expensive breaking and boning knives for a number of years now and couldnt be happier. Can’t beat the price at the moment, either.

 

[old sarge]

My wife uses Mundial sizzors in her sewing. Top notch, forged and very sharp. I have seen their knives and they look might nice but have not used them.

 

[johnmeyer]

The post about Mundial knives, which I'd never heard of, got me curious, so I looked for an article that compares the high-end Henckels and other traditional premium knives to some of these others. I came across an article that seemed to be written just for me (I was schooled an an engineer):

Cooking for Engineers: Chef's Knives Rated

As the author says in the article, if you don't want to read the whole thing, here are his conclusions:

Recommendations

 

[jcam222]

You are correct in finding some treasures in these type stores. Unfortunately, I personally know many people who for some ignorant reason will not shop GW, Salvation Army or any thrift store. Beneath their dignity, as if they possessed any.

Good idea on the knife block!

I’ve been fortunate for quite a few years to be able to shop where I want and buy what I want within reason. That said, I LOVE all the stores you mentioned and frequent one or more of them a week. It’s a treasure hunt for me. I’ve bought many games, high end clothes, All Clad pans etc. it’s a joy to me to find a misplaced treasure.

 

[jcam222]

The post about Mundial knives, which I'd never heard of, got me curious, so I looked for an article that compares the high-end Henckels and other traditional premium knives to some of these others. I came across an article that seemed to be written just for me (I was schooled an an engineer):

Cooking for Engineers: Chef's Knives Rated

As the author says in the article, if you don't want to read the whole thing, here are his conclusions:

Recommendations

I’ll have to check out a Mac knife. Great info thanks!!

 

[old sarge]

MTC Kitchens has a 30% off sale on Global Knives starting noon 10 DEC 2018. The webpage has a banner for 20% off but I just received an email for the 30%. Code is MTCGLOBAL30 at checkout:
https://www.mtckitchen.com/japanese...105234875&mc_cid=07618f5715&mc_eid=76574ce72f

 

[illini40]

In doing some more research, I keep coming back to the Victorinox Fibrox chef knife. I am not of the fan of the styling, as I think I was looking for more of the traditional styling of the nicer cutlery, but the performance and price point seem to get great reviews.

Any last thoughts of the Victoronix compared to a Mercer, Henckels, etc in the sub $50 category?

 

[illini40]

I’ll recommend you check out Mundial’s lineup. Been using their least expensive breaking and boning knives for a number of years now and couldnt be happier. Can’t beat the price at the moment, either.

Do you know which specific lineup or knives you have? Never heard of this brand so curious to check them out.

 

[mickey jay]

Looks like I've got the Mundial 5517-8 (8" Cimeter), and the 5516-5 (5" Boning). The 8" chef's knife (5610-8) is 13 bux right now on Amazon. They're not fancy but I might pick one up because well, it's 13 bux for a blade I could easily shave with. In the thousands of pounds of meat I've cut with those knives, I never felt the need to look for something else.

 

[johnmeyer]

In doing some more research, I keep coming back to the Victorinox Fibrox chef knife. I am not of the fan of the styling, as I think I was looking for more of the traditional styling of the nicer cutlery, but the performance and price point seem to get great reviews.

Any last thoughts of the Victoronix compared to a Mercer, Henckels, etc in the sub $50 category?

As I stated earlier, I own several of the premium Henckel knives. They are good, but I much prefer the Victorninix. I agree that the handle on this knife looks cheesy, but in actual use it has a great feel and the knife has a nice balance. It cuts better than any knife I own and keeps its edge.

BTW, if you want a sharpener that will turn almost any knife into an amazing cutting instrument, consider getting this:

Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition

I've had it for a couple of years, and it completely changed my knifes. I learned how to sharpen a knife using a stone fifty years ago, so I don't need a gimmick sharpener. I have used various sharpening devices, including the Chef's Choice that someone gave me as a present decades ago, but I never thought any of them worked much better than a stone.

Simply put: the Work Sharp puts an edge on your blade that is probably better than what it was like fresh from the factory.

 

[chilerelleno]

I have and very much like the Work Sharp, KO edition.
I use as my primary sharpener for most all my knives.
Except for some such as larger hunting/survival knives.
It puts a severe limitation on re-sharpening the knife by regular means, e.g. stones, sticks and honing steels.
That is because like all belt sharpeners is puts a convex bevel to the edge instead of a flat bevel.
This means that in order to sharpen by other means you'll have to reshape the bevel.

You can however utilize a strop in somewhat the same manner as a honing steel.

 

[xray]

I see there’s a lot of Dalstrong knives on sale right now over at Amazon.

I’ve thought about buying the gladiator series but I’m not sure if they are recommended?

I bought myself a work sharp KO edition last week on sale for a Christmas present...I may practice on my old cheap knives and then splurge next year on a good set.

 

[illini40]

I see there’s a lot of Dalstrong knives on sale right now over at Amazon.

I’ve thought about buying the gladiator series but I’m not sure if they are recommended?

I bought myself a work sharp KO edition last week on sale for a Christmas present...I may practice on my old cheap knives and then splurge next year on a good set.

Thanks for the heads up! Great deals on some of the Dalstrongs. I ordered a Gladiator series chef knife and boning knife.

I have the slicing knife and it's awesome. In my opinion, the Dalstrong knives are a great value. From what I have seen, there are some pursuits that may feel differently, but this is a company that is bring quality at a good price point.

 

[xray]

Thanks for the heads up! Great deals on some of the Dalstrongs. I ordered a Gladiator series chef knife and boning knife.

I have the slicing knife and it's awesome. In my opinion, the Dalstrong knives are a great value. From what I have seen, there are some pursuits that may feel differently, but this is a company that is bring quality at a good price point.

They were the Amazon deal of the day. The deal is gone now but I took a screenshot of the prices for future reference or sales.

I sadly didn’t end up purchasing any knives. My thought was to use my new work sharp and practice with my current knives...that way when I buy better knives, I won’t end up ruining them during the sharpening process.

It also appears that Dalstrong has very good customer service and are quick to replace any issues to may arise.

 

[illini40]

They were the Amazon deal of the day. The deal is gone now but I took a screenshot of the prices for future reference or sales.

I sadly didn’t end up purchasing any knives. My thought was to use my new work sharp and practice with my current knives...that way when I buy better knives, I won’t end up ruining them during the sharpening process.

It also appears that Dalstrong has very good customer service and are quick to replace any issues to may arise.

Keep us posted on how the sharpening goes with the KO Work Sharp.

 

[xray]

Will do. Let us know how the knives hold up. I got my eye on that 8pc. set when it drops back to $200.

 

[illini40]

They were the Amazon deal of the day. The deal is gone now but I took a screenshot of the prices for future reference or sales.

I sadly didn’t end up purchasing any knives. My thought was to use my new work sharp and practice with my current knives...that way when I buy better knives, I won’t end up ruining them during the sharpening process.

It also appears that Dalstrong has very good customer service and are quick to replace any issues to may arise.

Will do. Let us know how the knives hold up. I got my eye on that 8pc. set when it drops back to $200.

Just a quick note - used my Dalstrong Gladiator slicing knife on some ribs tonight. Cut like butter! Reminded me how nice of a job it does.